the new Oxford American
Dictionary 2nd Edition
14.10.21
late at nightearly in the morningthey colluded
he liked to take hot baths tried to melt like the beeswax candle he lit to soak
under its flickering halo licked by the breeze through the windowscreen
this morning laying there sipping
whisky from a shotglass he set over his left shoulder on the molded fiberglass
ledge his eyes lazilyabsently closing and opening he gazed up into the corner opposite
him where once upon a time a daddylonglegs appleseed he called her kept a web
When was thathe had to think when he first met
her he wasnt well he was stoved up
he immediately looked on the sink
under it expecting to find her body
he left her web intact on the
offchance she might
he watched herher shadow in that
lighting for so long
13.10.21
Whadafuckwha was at the back of his leghis calf
Barkeep two cold beers two whiskys please
Hereafter, the Hereafter.
Wha hereafter
The Hereafter, into the Great
Beyond beyond Beyond.
What do you know? he was irate
he saw his eyes fall
hed start the VHS or DVD and one
by one his cats wanted him to pet themhe had four
one by one he denied themignored
them
he scribbled quick thoughtshe was
always thinking sometimes particular
films from the library greased him and hed have to pause them to writecapture
his thoughts
setting his pen down restarting
the film one by one his cats returned and jumped up onto the couch they batted the pen down onto the floor
he set them down and picked up his
pen
they were playing with him
evidence
12.10.21
you can admit it
We
don pay attention to it
No we don
Why
are you speaking of we when you mean you
an us ofcourse
Youre a riot
Yare correct I shouldI can only speak
for myself My apologeezs
Accepted
However
you were agile too sophisticated enough
to cut your losses not get lost
Yadidnt think I got lost
Then
youve done awright
Are we patting ourselves on our
back
Sure
why not Well tell ourselves were putting
out a fire
1607, Monday – Indigenous People’s Day, 11 10. 21
he frustrated many people who
tried to obliged himsaid how much they valued his opinion
she hurt him
11.10.21
he
wanted to see him blanchcouldnt resist himself
he turned to Denver one day hed ask her how her name
came to be Yawanna see something I think is
fascinating
You think it’d be fascinating?
Most things that comes out of your mouth are fascinating . . yet you deflect,
you say they’re not.
I’m watching.
Say Max yacatch Norm Macdonalds standup the other
evening
Was it good?
He was sensationalbest bit of the
evening autoerotic asphyxiation
SPASMMaxs
face contorted Didnt I tellya He’s disgusted. Certain sex disgusts him What the fucks with
you and that. He cant even say it This is nuts. That that yamean autoerotic asphyxiation JesusChrist! he
looked like he had bile to spit
Ohmy I keep forgettin yare a prude
You don’t, youyou, you constantly
say things that disgust me.
What? Denver asked her eyes rolled
Don’t you start with me, don’t you dare
side with him.
I'm sorry, you didn’t know what autoerotic
asphyxiation was?
I said don’t start with me.
Joe smacked his lips So damn tasty
I’d definitely be tempted.
with a heavy heart the only analogy he has left
1731, Monday – Indigenous People’s Day, 11 10.
21
pensee
newborns pink nails
held soft in their mothers hand
through an incubator portal
shell be a tough cookie
Iowas Republican Senator Grassley
at 88 vacillates or
maybe he cant remember what his aides put out in his name very likely he quit thinking for himself long ago
1511, Monday – Indigenous People’s Day, 11 10.
21
10.10.21
he agreed to move in with his
brother
they had talked about it as
teenagersthey werent teenagers any more
his brother said he found a
perfect place a two bedroom apartment loft balcony a great room
walking through it talking about
it they found their dreamy configurations were similar although more akin to seeing askewthrough
beveled glass or reflections refracted by a carnival Funhouse mirror grit overlaid siftingshadows fucking palimpsest mergers
I see what you’re saying. his
brother said
I can see what you were saying he said
Give it a go?
I can give it a go Got my shit in the truck Nowhere else to go
My shit too.
Then were in
got one truck then the other back
to the rental centers and took a bus with transfers back near the apartment walkedjabbered the remaining short mile
lights were on
someone was home
Maw-good cook
On par, though different than Maw’s.
Whas her name
Renne, not Renee, two ns not two es.
Renne
Perfect. Keep that up and she’ll
have you speaking French before you know it.
Yare not
Hell no, words here and there, although
I could listen to her speak for hours; it’s like music. We’ve only just begun seeing
each other exclusively.
You Exclusive
Ah . . slowly . . . but I think surely
. eventually.
Renne knows eventually
She knows, I’ve told her.
So I could tell her wouldnt ruffle her feathers
he offered her a cardigan he couldnt imagine his brother was oblivious maybe showing her off
she declinedhe was happy she said the fresh air felt goodhe felt good she looked good
they sat on the couch she leaned overput her hand on top of his she squeezed his hand I think you and I are going to be very good friends.
he contemplated the tarnished
whitequartz broken rib that stuck out of the earths side
it had been scoured by ancient seawater
before a violent tectonic shift forced it upthe water to recedebecome a deep
sonorous river that is the east boundary of the remote twisting gorge